Direction-changing device and sorting system

Abstract

To provide a direction-changing device that ensures transport stability in a main transport direction of a transport path while reducing resistance when changing a direction, and that can achieve compactness, power saving, improved transport capacity, and a longer life, and a sorting system that can sort items at a high speed.SOLUTION: In a turn roller type direction-changing device, a part or all of a plurality of conveying rollers 120 includes a cylindrical portion 121 having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122, and a spherical portion 123 provided on at least one side in a rotation axis direction and having a spherical outer peripheral surface 124, in which an introduction portion 125 having a curved outer peripheral surface 126 connecting the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 and the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 is provided. A sorting system includes the above-described direction-changing device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a direction-changing device for changing the conveyance direction of an article and a sorting system including the direction-changing device.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, as a direction-changing device for changing the conveyance direction of an article in the middle of an article conveyance path, a so-called "turning roller type" device is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In this type of direction-changing device, a plurality of conveyance rollers arranged in the main conveyance direction and the width direction in the article conveyance path and rotatably supported around a horizontal axis are frictionally driven all at once by a plurality of line shafts, thereby conveying the article in the main conveyance direction in the article conveyance path. Then, the conveyance roller is rotated around a vertical axis by an actuator such as an air cylinder, and the driving force is transmitted in a state where the rotation axis of the conveyance roller and the rotation axis of the line shaft are inclined, so that the direction can be changed to a direction different from the main conveyance direction in the article conveyance path.

[0003] As the conveyance roller, for example, as shown in FIG. 11A, a conveyance roller 120a having a spherical outer peripheral surface 124, or as shown in FIG. 11B, a conveyance roller 120b having a cylindrical portion 121 with a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 provided at the central portion in the rotation axis direction is used. In the conveyance roller 120a shown in FIG. 11A, the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 is formed by a part of an arc having, in a cross section including the rotation axis Ra, for example, the intersection of the rotation axis Ra and the center line in the width direction of the conveyance roller 120a as the center of curvature Cs. In the conveyance roller 120b shown in FIG. 11B, the portions continuous with each of the both sides of the cylindrical portion 121 are spherical surface portions 123 having a spherical outer peripheral surface 124 having, in a cross section including the rotation axis Ra, for example, the intersection of the rotation axis Ra and the center line in the width direction of the conveyance roller 120b as the center of curvature Cs.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent No. 2911809 Patent Document 2 Japanese Patent No. 5197269 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a turn roller type direction changing device, in order to perform a quick and reliable sorting operation, it is desirable that the resistance force when rotating the conveying roller during the direction change of the article is small. In this regard, since the frictional resistance with the line shaft accompanying the rotation of the conveying roller does not change significantly, it is preferable to use the conveying roller 120a having the configuration shown in FIG. 11A. However, in the conveying roller 120a having the configuration shown in FIG. 11A, since the driving force transmitted from the line shaft to the conveying roller 120a cannot be increased, the conveying force of the article becomes weak, and the direction stability also decreases, resulting in a problem that the conveying stability of the article with respect to the main conveying direction in the article conveying path is low. On the other hand, in the conveying roller 120b having the configuration shown in FIG. 11B, by providing the cylindrical portion 121, it is possible to ensure the conveying stability of the article with respect to the main conveying direction in the article conveying path even when receiving some disturbances. However, in the conveying roller 120b having the configuration shown in FIG. 11B, since the resistance force when rotating the conveying roller 120b becomes large, a large-thrust actuator is required to perform a quick and reliable sorting operation. As a result, problems such as an increase in the size of the device, an increase in power consumption, and an increase in noise during the operation of the actuator occur.

[0006] The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a direction changing device capable of reducing the resistance force during direction change while ensuring the conveying stability with respect to the main conveying direction of the conveying path, and realizing miniaturization, power saving, improvement of the conveying capacity, and extension of the service life. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sorting system capable of high-speed sorting of articles.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention is a direction-changing device including a plurality of rows of rollers, a line shaft arranged in parallel with the roller rows and configured to rotate the plurality of conveyor rollers constituting the roller rows together about a horizontal axis, and a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the plurality of conveyor rollers in the roller rows about a vertical axis while aligning the directions of the conveyor rollers. A part or all of the plurality of conveyor rollers include a cylindrical portion having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface and a spherical portion provided on at least one side in the rotation axis direction and having a spherical outer peripheral surface, and by providing an introduction portion having a curved outer peripheral surface connecting the cylindrical outer peripheral surface and the spherical outer peripheral surface, the above problems are solved.

[0008] Further, the sorting system of the present invention solves the above problems by having a configuration including the above direction-changing device.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the invention according to claim 1, basically, since the conveyor roller includes a cylindrical portion, in a state where the conveyor roller is in a normal position where the conveyance driving direction is the main conveyance direction of the article conveyance path, the conveyance stability of the article with respect to the main conveyance direction of the article conveyance path can be ensured. Further, since the conveyor roller includes a spherical portion, the rotation posture of the conveyor roller when the conveyor roller is rotated and switched to a switching position (a state where the conveyor roller is inclined at a predetermined angle) where the conveyance driving direction is different from the main conveyance direction of the article conveyance path can be stabilized. Moreover, since the conveyance roller is provided with an introduction part, the shape change from the cylindrical part to the spherical part becomes gentle, so that the resistance when rotating the conveyance roller to switch the position can be reduced. As a result, the rotation mechanism can be configured to include an actuator with a small thrust, such as an air cylinder with a small air volume, an electric actuator, or an electromagnetic solenoid. Therefore, it is possible to miniaturize the direction changing device and save power. In addition, by reducing the resistance when switching the position of the conveyance roller, it is possible to improve the operating speed, improve the conveyance capacity, suppress wear and deterioration of sliding parts and conveyance rollers, and achieve a long service life.

[0010] According to the invention according to claim 2, an appropriate contact state of the conveyance roller with respect to the line shaft can be maintained regardless of whether the conveyance roller is in the normal position or the switching position. According to the invention according to claim 3, the switching of the position of the conveyance roller can be performed smoothly.

[0011] According to the invention according to claim 4, it is possible to construct a sorting system capable of high-speed sorting of articles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7A

Figure 7B

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10A

Figure 10B

Figure 10C

Figure 11A

Figure 11B

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, a direction changing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the direction changing device 100 according to the present invention includes a plurality of roller rows 110 arranged in one direction, which is the main conveying direction (indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 1) in the article conveying path, and a rotation drive mechanism 140 having a line shaft 142 for rotating a plurality of conveying rollers 120 constituting the roller row 110 all at once around a horizontal axis, and a rotation mechanism 150 for rotating a plurality of conveying rollers 120 constituting the roller row 110 around a vertical axis while aligning the directions of the conveying rollers 120.

[0015] The roller row 110 is composed of a plurality of conveying rollers 120 arranged in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) of the article conveying path. The surface (sliding surface) of the conveying roller 120 is made of a material with relatively low hardness, such as nitrile rubber. In this embodiment, it includes a first roller row 110a having nine conveying rollers 120 and a second roller row 110b having ten conveying rollers 120 in the width direction of the article conveying path. The multiple roller rows 110 are arranged such that the first roller row 110a and the second roller row 110b are alternately arranged in one direction, and the first roller row 110a and the second roller row 110b form one unit to constitute five roller units 115. In the following, unless otherwise specifically mentioned, the first roller row 110a and the second roller row 110b are simply referred to as the roller row 110.

[0016] Each conveying roller 120 is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis and pivotally supported about a vertical axis by a support structure 130, and as shown in FIG. 5, a part of the conveying roller 120 protrudes upward from a number of circular roller protruding holes 106 formed on the upper surface of the cover 105 to support the article. The support structure 130 includes a bearing cylinder 131 fixed to the holding frame 102 of the machine base 101 so as to extend in the vertical direction, a roller pivot shaft 132 pivotally supported by the bearing cylinder 131 about a vertical axis, a pivot arm 133 fixed to the upper part of the roller pivot shaft 132, a joint axis 134 provided on the pivot arm 133 so as to extend in the width direction of the article conveying path on the rotation axis of the roller pivot shaft 132, and a roller support 135 swingably supported by the joint axis 134 and rotatably supporting the conveying roller 120 about a horizontal axis.

[0017] The conveying roller 120 is constantly urged by an urging member 136 to keep in contact with the line shaft 142. In this embodiment, for example, a torsion coil spring is used as the urging member 136, which is wound around the joint axis 134 and interposed between the roller support 135 and the pivot arm 133.

[0018] The rotation drive mechanism 140 includes an electric motor 141 capable of driving forward and reverse rotation, a plurality of line shafts 142 provided for each roller unit 115, and a winding transmission mechanism as a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the electric motor 141 to each line shaft 142.

[0019] The line shaft 142 is rotatably supported by a bearing member 104 whose both ends are fixed to the machine base 101 in a posture where the rotation axis extends horizontally parallel to the roller row 110, and a driven toothed pulley 146 is attached to one end portion in the axial direction.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the winding transmission mechanism is configured by stretching a toothed belt 145 over a driving toothed pulley 147 fixed to the drive shaft of the electric motor 141, a driven toothed pulley 146 attached to the line shaft 142, a tension pulley 148a, and an idler pulley 148b, and all the line shafts 142 are rotationally driven in the same direction simultaneously by one electric motor 141. The tension pulley 148a is provided so as to be position-adjustable with respect to the machine base 101, and thus the tension of the toothed belt 145 can be adjusted. The idler pulley 148b is provided at intervals in one direction on the holding frame 102 of the machine base 101.

[0021] The pivoting mechanism 150 includes a pivoting arm 133 that constitutes the support structure 130 of the conveying roller 120 in the first roller row 110a, a connecting member 155 that integrally connects the pivoting arms 133 that constitute the support structure 130 of the conveying roller 120 in the second roller row 110b so as not to be relatively movable, and an actuator 151 that moves the connecting member 155 in the width direction of the article conveying path. The pivoting arm 133 is rotatably connected to the connecting member 155 around a vertical axis parallel to the rotation axis of the roller pivoting shaft 132.

[0022] In the present embodiment, the rotational operation of the conveyance roller 120 about the vertical axis is configured to be independently performed for each roller unit 115, and the actuator 151 is provided for each roller unit 115. As shown in FIG. 4, the actuator 151 is constituted by, for example, an air cylinder having a cylinder 152 and first and second operating rods 153a and 153b which are respectively coupled to a pair of pistons (not shown) slidably accommodated in the cylinder 152 and which perform linear reciprocating motion as operating members. The first operating rod 153a is pivotally attached to a support 156 fixed to the connecting member 155 so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis, and the second operating rod 153b is pivotally attached to a support 103 fixed to the holding frame 102 so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis. In the present embodiment, a configuration using an air cylinder as the actuator 151 has been described, but it is also possible to use an electric actuator or an electromagnetic solenoid as the actuator 151.

[0023] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the direction conversion of the conveyance roller 120 about the vertical axis is constituted by an operation of switching between a normal position in which the conveyance driving direction is the conveyance direction α (the direction of the white arrow shown by the broken line in FIG. 6) of the main conveyance path and a first switching position in which the conveyance driving direction is the first direction β (the direction of the white arrow shown by the solid line in FIG. 6) which is inclined by a predetermined angle θ° with respect to the main conveyance direction α of the article conveyance path, or an operation of switching between the normal position and a second switching position (not shown) in which the conveyance driving direction is the second direction inclined by a predetermined angle -θ° with respect to the main conveyance direction of the article conveyance path. Pa in FIG. 6 is the rotation axis of the conveyance roller 120, includes the curvature center Cs of the spherical surface portion 123 of the conveyance roller 120 described later, and is positioned so as to pass through a plane in which the rotation axis Ra is the normal. Therefore, regardless of whether the conveyance roller 120 is in the normal position or the switching position, an appropriate contact state with respect to the line shaft 142 of the conveyance roller 120 can be maintained. The magnitude of the angle θ formed between the main conveyance direction and the first direction or the second direction can be appropriately set according to the purpose. As an example, it is 35°.

[0024] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the conveyance roller 120 includes a cylindrical portion 121 provided at the central portion in the direction of the rotation axis Ra and having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122, and spherical portions 123 provided on both sides in the direction of the rotation axis Ra and each having a spherical outer peripheral surface 124. The spherical outer peripheral surface 124 has a curvature center Cs on the rotation axis Ra in a cross section including the rotation axis Ra. By providing the conveyance roller 120 with the cylindrical portion 121, it is possible to ensure the conveyance stability of the article with respect to the main conveyance direction in the article conveyance path in a state where the conveyance roller 120 is in the normal position. Further, by providing the conveyance roller 120 with the spherical portions 123, it is possible to stabilize the rotation posture of the conveyance roller 120 when the conveyance roller 120 is rotated and switched to the first switching position or the second switching position.

[0025] The cylindrical portion 121 includes the curvature center Cs of the spherical portion 123 and is formed symmetrically with respect to a plane (hereinafter referred to as the “symmetric plane”) Ls in which the rotation axis Ra serves as a normal line. The dimension in the direction of the rotation axis Ra (hereinafter referred to as the “plane width”) W between the intersection point where this symmetric plane Ls intersects the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 and the contact point of the cylindrical portion 121 and an introduction portion 125 described later is of equal magnitude across the symmetric plane Ls. Due to such a configuration, in a state where the conveyance roller 120 is in the normal position where the conveyance driving direction is the main conveyance direction of the article conveyance path, the direction of the conveyance roller 120 can be maintained, so that the conveyance stability of the article with respect to the main conveyance direction of the article conveyance path can be improved.

[0026] The plane width W of the cylindrical portion 121 is preferably not less than 7.8% of the roller diameter D. If the planar width W is less than 7.8% of the roller diameter D, the conveyance stability in the main conveyance direction of the article conveyance path tends to decrease. However, when the planar width W is 7.8% or more of the roller diameter D, when the conveyance roller 120 tilts from the normal position, the torque of the force attempting to return the conveyance roller 120 to the normal position can be made larger than the torque of the force that obstructs it. For this reason, even when subjected to disturbances, an action that causes the conveyance roller 120 to automatically return to the normal position can be generated, so that the conveyance stability in the main conveyance direction of the article conveyance path can be improved.

[0027] Also, it is preferable that the planar width W of the cylindrical portion 121 is configured to be 11.9% or less of the roller diameter D. When the planar width W exceeds 11.9% of the roller diameter D, it becomes difficult to smoothly switch the position of the conveyance roller 120. However, when the planar width W is 11.9% or less of the roller diameter D, while ensuring the conveyance stability with respect to the main conveyance direction of the article conveyance path, the resistance when rotating the conveyance roller 120 to switch the position can be reduced. Therefore, it becomes possible to quickly switch the position of the conveyance roller 120 with a small switching thrust.

[0028] Thus, in the direction changing device 100 according to the present embodiment, introduction portions 125 each having a curved outer peripheral surface 126 connecting the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 and the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 are provided on both sides of the cylindrical portion 121 for all of the plurality of conveyance rollers 120.

[0029] The outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 is connected to each of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 of the cylindrical portion 121 and the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 of the spherical portion 123 so that the outer peripheral surface of the conveyance roller does not become concave. As a result, it becomes possible to smoothly switch the position of the conveyance roller. In this embodiment, the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 includes the connection point between the cylindrical portion 121 and the introduction portion 125, has a curvature center Ci on the surface Lv where the rotation axis Ra is the normal, and is a spherical shape with a curvature radius r2 smaller than the curvature radius r1 of the spherical outer peripheral surface 124. In this conveying roller 120, the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 and the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 are connected in a connection state where the tangent to the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 and the tangent to the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 are the same at the connection point between the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 and the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125. Further, the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 and the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 are connected in a connection state (a connection state where the two tangents intersect convexly outward) where the inclination of the tangent to the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 with respect to the rotation axis Ra is smaller than the inclination of the tangent to the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 with respect to the rotation axis Ra at the connection point between the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 and the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 of the spherical portion 123.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 7B, the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 and the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 may be connected in a connection state where the tangent T to the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 and the tangent T to the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 are the same at the connection point between the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 and the spherical outer peripheral surface 124. In the conveying roller 120 having such a configuration, the curvature center Ci of the introduction portion 125 is located at a position where the straight line connecting the connection point of the introduction portion 125 and the spherical portion 123 and the curvature center Cs of the spherical portion 123 intersects the surface including the connection point of the cylindrical portion 121 and the introduction portion 126 and where the rotation axis Ra is the normal.

[0031] In this embodiment, all of the plurality of transport rollers 120 are configured to include the introduction portion 125, but at least a part of the plurality of transport rollers 120 may be configured to include the introduction portion 125. Further, although the introduction portion 125 is configured to be provided on both sides of the cylindrical portion 121, for example, when the direction conversion around the vertical axis of the transport roller 120 is configured by an operation of switching between the normal position and the first switching position, as shown in FIG. 8 for example, a configuration in which the introduction portion 125 is provided only on one side of the cylindrical portion 121 may be employed. In this case, as indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 8, the cylindrical portion 121 does not necessarily need to be formed symmetrically with respect to the symmetry plane Ls, and the other side of the cylindrical portion 121 may have a dimension greater than or equal to the planar width W on one side of the cylindrical portion 121.

[0032] Further, the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 does not necessarily need to be spherical, and for example, it may be an ellipsoidal spherical shape having a center on the vertical line Lv. In such a configuration, the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 and the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 are connected in a connection state (a connection state in which two tangents intersect convexly outward) where the inclination of the tangent to the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 with respect to the rotation axis line Ra is smaller than the inclination of the tangent to the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 with respect to the rotation axis line Ra at the connection point between the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 and the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 of the spherical portion 123. Also, when the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 is configured to be spherical, as long as it is connected in a connection state (a connection state in which two tangents intersect convexly outward) where the inclination of the tangent to the outer peripheral surface 126 of the introduction portion 125 with respect to the rotation axis line Ra is smaller than the inclination of the tangent to the spherical outer peripheral surface 124 with respect to the rotation axis line Ra, it may be spherical with a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the spherical outer peripheral surface 124.

[0033] And, since the conveying roller 120 is provided with the introduction part 125, the shape change from the cylindrical part 121 to the spherical part 123 becomes gentle, so that the resistance when rotating the conveying roller 120 to switch the position can be reduced, and as shown by the solid curve in FIG. 9, the position of the conveying roller 120 can be quickly switched with a small switching thrust. Note that the solid curve in FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the conveying roller 120 and the thrust of the actuator when using the conveying roller 120 manufactured such that the planar width W of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 is 9.6% of the roller diameter D with reference to the configuration shown in FIG. 7A. Also, the curve shown by the broken line in FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the conveying roller 120b and the thrust of the actuator when using the conveying roller 120b manufactured such that the planar width W of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 122 is 18.5% of the roller diameter D with reference to the configuration shown in FIG. 11B.

[0034] Therefore, according to the direction changing device 100 having the above configuration, it is possible to configure the rotation mechanism 150 to include an actuator 151 with a small thrust such as an air cylinder with a small air volume, an electric actuator, or an electromagnetic solenoid, so that it is possible to achieve miniaturization and power saving of the direction changing device 100. Further, by reducing the resistance when switching the position of the conveying roller 120, it is possible to improve the operating speed, improve the conveying capacity, suppress wear and deterioration of the sliding parts and the conveying roller 120, and achieve a long service life.

[0035] The direction changing device 100 according to the present invention can realize a change in the direction of an article conveying path such as "sorting", "crossing", and "branching" by being arranged, for example, on a conveyor line, and is extremely useful for constructing a high-speed automatic sorting system. Hereinafter, the sorting system of the present invention will be described.

[0036] For example, the sorting system 160a shown in FIG. 10A is disposed between the main conveyance path 161 through which the above-described direction changer 100 conveys the article O in one direction and the first branch conveyance path 162a that is disposed downstream of the main conveyance path 161 and conveys the article O in one direction. A second branch conveyance path 162b and a third branch conveyance path 162c that extend in a direction intersecting the first branch conveyance path 162a are disposed at a position on the upstream end side of the first branch conveyance path 162a. As a result, high-speed sorting of the article O in three directions, i.e., the left-right direction and the straight-ahead direction orthogonal to the article conveyance direction of the main conveyance path 161, becomes possible.

[0037] Further, in the sorting system 160b shown in FIG. 10B, two conveyance lines for conveying an article in one direction are arranged in parallel, and the article conveyance path can be changed between the two conveyance lines. Each conveyance line is configured such that the above-described direction changer 100 is disposed between the upstream conveyance paths 165a and 165b and the downstream conveyance paths 166a and 166b disposed downstream of the upstream conveyance paths 165a and 165b. In such a sorting system 160b, high-speed sorting of the article O being conveyed on the upstream conveyance path 165a in one conveyance line to the downstream conveyance path 166a in one conveyance line or the downstream conveyance path 166b in the other conveyance line, and high-speed sorting of the article O being conveyed on the upstream conveyance path 165b in the other conveyance line to the downstream conveyance path 166a in one conveyance line or the downstream conveyance path 166b in the other conveyance line are possible.

[0038] Furthermore, the sorting system 160c shown in FIG. 10C is disposed between the main conveyance path 161 in which the above-described direction-changing device 100 conveys the article O in one direction and the first branch conveyance path 162a that is disposed on the downstream side of the main conveyance path 161 and conveys the article O in one direction. A second branch conveyance path 162b that conveys the article O in a direction different from the one direction is disposed on one side of the direction-changing device 100. As a result, high-speed sorting of the article O in two directions, i.e., the straight-ahead direction and the branch direction, with respect to the article conveyance direction of the main conveyance path 161 is possible. In such a sorting system 160c, the conveyance roller 120 in the direction-changing device 100 may have a configuration in which the introduction portion 125 is provided only on one side of the cylindrical portion 121 in the direction of the rotation axis Ra (see FIG. 8).

[0039] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims. For example, although the conveyance roller has been described as being capable of changing its direction between the normal position and two switching positions, the configuration of the conveyance roller is not limited thereto, and for example, it may be configured to be changeable to four or more positions. In the above-described embodiment, although the roller rows in two columns are used as roller units and each roller unit is configured to be independently capable of changing its direction, for example, each roller row may be configured to be independently capable of changing its direction, or each conveyance roller may be configured to be individually capable of changing its direction. Needless to say, the number of roller rows, the number of conveyance rollers constituting the roller rows, and other specific configurations can be optimally selected according to the type of article to be conveyed, the conveyance speed, the installation space, and the like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0040] 100 ··· Direction-changing device 101 ··· Machine base 102 ··· Holding frame 103 ··· Support 104 ··· Bearing member 105 ··· Cover 106 ··· Roller protruding hole 110 ··· Roller row 110a ··· First roller row 110b ··· Second roller row 115 ··· Roller unit 120 ··· Conveyor roller 120a ··· Conveyor roller 120b ··· Conveyor roller 121 ··· Cylindrical part 122 ··· Cylindrical outer peripheral surface 123 ··· Spherical part 124 ··· Spherical outer peripheral surface 125 ··· Introduction part 126 ··· Outer peripheral surface 130 ··· Support structure 131 ··· Bearing cylinder 132 ··· Roller pivot 133 ··· Swivel arm 134 ··· Joint axis 135 ··· Roller support 136 ··· Biasing member 140 ··· Rotational drive mechanism 141 ··· Electric motor 142 ··· Line shaft 145 ··· Toothed belt 146 ··· Driven toothed pulley 147 ··· Driving toothed pulley 148a ··· Tension pulley 148b ··· Idler pulley 150 ··· Rotating mechanism 151 ··· Actuator 152 ··· Cylinder 153a ··· First actuating rod 153b ··· Second actuating rod 155 ··· Connecting member 156 ··· Support 160a ··· Sorting system 160b ··· Sorting system 160c ··· Sorting system 161 ··· Main conveying path 162a ··· First branch conveying path 162b ··· Second branch conveying path 162c ··· Third branch conveying path 165a ··· Upstream conveying path 165b ··· Upstream conveying path 166a ··· Downstream conveying path 166b ··· Downstream conveying path Ci ··· Curvature center of the introduction part Cs ··· Curvature center of the spherical part Pa ··· Rotation axis Ra ··· Axis of rotation O ··· Article

Claims

1. A direction-changing device comprising a plurality of rows of rollers, a line shaft arranged parallel to the rows of rollers for rotating the plurality of conveyor rollers constituting the rows of rollers together about a horizontal axis, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the plurality of conveyor rollers in the rows of rollers about a vertical axis while aligning the directions of the conveyor rollers, wherein some or all of the plurality of conveyor rollers include a cylindrical portion having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface and a spherical portion having a spherical outer peripheral surface provided on at least one side in the rotational axis direction, and an introduction portion having a curved outer peripheral surface connecting the cylindrical outer peripheral surface and the spherical outer peripheral surface is provided. The direction-changing device is characterized by this.

2. The conveyor roller is biased by a biasing member so as to maintain contact with the line shaft, the center of curvature of the spherical portion is located on the rotational axis of the conveyor roller, The direction-changing device according to claim 1, wherein the rotational axis of the conveyor roller passes through a plane including the center of curvature of the spherical portion and having the rotational axis as a normal line.

3. The outer peripheral surface of the introduction portion is connected in a cross section including the rotational axis so that the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor roller does not become concave with respect to each of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the spherical outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion. The direction-changing device according to claim 1 is characterized by this.

4. A sorting system comprising the direction-changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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